It’s with profound sadness this morning that we learnt about the passing of Daren Ellis, affectionately known as Daz, professionally known as Undercover Agent.
Many of you may know of him from his legendary releases on Juice and Splash Records, his radio station Cyndicut, and of course one of jungle musics most enduring anthems Splash ‘Babylon’.
Daren peacefully departed in his sleep yesterday, after a long term battle with health issues.
It’s a bold statement but without his radio station & record labels me & a lot of my friends would never have got our first break into the world of music.
Tuning into his shows on Cyndicut was the spark that lit my fire way back when, his ROAR club nights were always a madness, getting to play on Cyndicut was a huge stepping stone for my music career. Juice was the first label to send me promos & he was one of the first big artists to let me cut his tracks on dub.
Setting The Standard For D&B
His music set the standard for the early drum & bass sound and he’s left a legacy of music for us to enjoy forever – Babylon, Rebels, 5 Tones, Oh Gosh, Dub Plate Circles, World Mash Up, Hard Disk, Barracuda, Rougher.
Andy C, who got his first break playing on Cyndicut FM, sighted ‘Babylon’ as one of his favourite ever D&B tracks. The track still regularly features in his sets some 27 years after its initial release!! His music was remixed by legends such as Zinc, A-Sides, Brockie & Ed Solo, DJ SS, Ray Keith, Majistrate, Bladerunner, Decoder, DJ Trace, Ego Trippin, Mampi Swift & of course Dillinja.
Juice and Splash Records
Last summer I reconnected with him during my time working at Suburban Base when compiling the recent Juice / Splash compilation & picture discs. It was cool to hear all the stories from the pirate radio heyday & how he started the iconic labels. While he didn’t like doing interviews he even did me the favour of letting me interview him for my website.
The labels not only showcased his own productions, but were a platform to highlight the talented artists that were DJing on Cyndicut such as Embee, M.A.T.T. (Ego Trippin) & Majistrate.
I don’t think he knew what an impact he had on the lives of so many of us music heads growing up… A true legend.
Tributes From Fellow Artists
Tributes to DAZ / Undercover Agent have been posted all over social media this week from artists including Andy C, Randall, Heist, DJMag, 2 Bad Mice, Dazee & Uncle Dugs…
Andy C
Majistrate
Ego Trippin’
Suburban Base Records
Loxy
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